Silk, the new work by conceptual director Mary Zimmerman (Metamorphoses), will have its premiere at Chicago's Goodman Theatre's Albert space April 23-May 29.

Mary Zimmerman
Photo by Ernio Hernandez

Silk is Zimmerman's first world premiere since winning a Tony Award for her direction of Metamorphoses. The story "focuses on Hervé Joncour, who buys and sells silkworms for a living. His small French town depends on him for its livelihood. Each year, Joncour travels to exotic locations around the world to acquire the silkworms. But one year, an epidemic strikes silkworms all over the world. Or nearly the whole world. There's still Japan. And that is where Joncour journeys, to meet a wealthy village lord and his beautiful young mistress. There he will find what he's looking for, and so much more." Featured in the cast are Ryan Artzberger as Hervé Joncour; Colleen Delany as Helene; Christopher Donahue as The Narrator (seen in the Broadway production of Metamorphoses); Tohoru Masamune as Hara Kei; Lisa Tejero as Madame Blanche (also in Metamorphoses); and Joe Dempsey, Glen Fleshler, Andre Ing, Denice Lee, Elaine Qualter and Phillip White.